Phillies rally to beat Giants

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, May 15, 1996

PHILADELPHIA - Todd Zeile homered on the first pitch off Rod Beck in the 10th inning Wednesday to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 7-6, 10-inning victory at Veterans Stadium.

It was a very disappointing ending to a very good road trip for the Giants, who squandered a 6-2 lead in dropping their second straight. Still, the Giants finished 6-3 on the swing through St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Giants starter Mark Leiter became the National League leader in homers allowed with 12 after the Phillies tagged him for three more, and Phillies starter Terry Mulholland, twice a Giant in his career, didn't last into the fifth inning.

But neither was involved in the decision as Beck blew his first save in 10 chances (21 going back to last year), with the help of a Glenallen Hill defensive blunder in right.

With the Giants ahead 6-4 in the eighth inning and runners on first and second, put there by Rich DeLucia on a walk and hit batter, Beck entered and got pinch hitter Lenny Dykstra to pop up for the second out. But the next batter, Kevin Stocker, hit a ball into the right-field corner that Hill bobbled as he slid on the turf.

Both runners scored to tie the game on what was ruled as a triple, before Beck retired Mark Whiten to end the inning.

The Phillies had staked Mulholland to a 2-0 lead on back-to-back homers by Todd Zeile and Mike Lieberthal in the second inning, but the Giants' offense went to work in the top of the third and stormed ahead, 5-2.

Catcher Steve Decker hit a one-out single. After Leiter struck out trying to bunt, the Giants connected on four straight two-out hits. Hot-hitting Stan Javier's fifth double in the last three games, into the right-field corner, scored Decker, and Shawon Dunston followed with a bloop single to center that tied the game, 2-2.

Barry Bonds then grounded a single to right, ending what for him was a Sahara-like drought - 0-for-5 - sending Dunston third. With a 3-0 count on Matt Williams, Mulholland threw a wild pitch that scored Dunston for a 3-2 Giants lead, and Williams drove the next pitch over the wall in left for his 10th home run to cap the impressive rally.

Hill joined the fun in the fourth by hitting the inning's first pitch off the facing above the first deck in left for his 10th home run.

Mulholland was finished after four, one inning more than he lasted in his previous start. He's allowed 15 earned runs in his last seven innings, raising his overall ERA to 6.41.

Whiten, inserted into the game during a double switch, joined the homer parade by hitting one even farther than Hill's. He blasted a Leiter pitch into the small mezzanine level between the first and second decks, cutting the Giants' lead to 6-3.

The Phillies finally scored without the long ball in the sixth when Pete Incaviglia singled with one out, stole second as Zeile struck out and scored on Lieberthal's single to left. Leiter struck out pinch hitter J.R. Phillips to end the inning.&lt;